One Sure Path
by Talking Hawk
Summary: In Lothlorien, Gimli and Legolas ponder what has and will happen to the Fellowship. (This is a theory on how they become friends.) No slash.


One Sure Path  
  
By Talking Hawk  
  
Legolas turned over restlessly, caught up in a dream, or rather, a memory. He was running across the bridge in the Mines of Moria, the dirt floor padding softly as his feet ran across it. 'Safety, freedom!' were the thoughts coming from his tired, weary mind. It seems as if they had been running forever, shooting back arrows at the goblins the entire way.  
  
As the elf finished crossing the bridge, and looked back to see who else was coming. Gimli nearly ran into him, then went past him, but Legolas noticed someone else still on the other side. It was Gandalf. The monstrous ancient beast, the Balrog, was closing in on the old wizard. 'Oh no…' Legolas thought to himself, predicting what was about to come. "Hurry, Gandalf!" he cried out, but as he did this, Gandalf spun around and faced his adversary.  
  
"Gandalf!!" the ringbearer cried from the steps above. Legolas' eyes twisted in horror as, in a moment's time, Gandalf went from being the victor of the battle to falling into the immeasurable depths of the abyss below. As Gandalf clung to the broken edge of the bridge, Gimli tried running to help him. Legolas grabbed the dwarf before he could, seeing the hoard of goblins approaching.  
  
"Fly you fools!" the wizard ordered, then let go. It was a long moment before anyone fully realized what had happened. Gandalf had let himself die. "NoooOOO!!" Frodo Baggins cried out, tears streaming down his horrified face. Boromir the human picked up the screaming hobbit and cried out the other stunned human's name, to make to retreat with the rest of us.  
  
It was at this time that Legolas opened his wide eyes, staring up at the cloth that made up their tent in Lothlorien. The elf sat up and sighed, annoyed that even in sleep, he couldn't find peace in the turmoil that the Fellowship lived in. He considered rolling over and attempting to sleep a futile sleep, but his pointed ears picked up the sounds of footsteps from above.  
  
Seizing his bow and arrows, he snuck over the bodies blocking the exit of the tent, and looked above. In the lit stairway up the tree, he could see a figure walking. Legolas sighed in relief when he realized it was Gimli. He put his weapons back in the tent, and was about to reenter when a thought came into his mind. 'Why would GIMLI be taking a midnight stroll?' The elf lifted an eyebrow, and decided to investigate.  
  
After a few moments, Legolas caught up with Gimli. Gimli casually looked to his side, and finding Legolas there, he jumped in surprise. After recovering his composure, he hissed, "What are you doing here?" "I was curious as to why you were walking around," Legolas responded, hating it when he had to explain himself all the time to the dwarf. Why couldn't he do just what he wanted to do?  
  
"I was thinking," Gimli said, folding his hands behind his back and continuing up the stairwell. Legolas walked with him. "What of?" the elf inquired. "Master Elf," Gimli sneered, "some of us do actually WORRY about things." Legolas lifted an eyebrow. "What makes you think I don't worry about anything?"  
  
"Elves don't worry about anything. And why should they?" Gimli asked rhetorically in an agitated tone. "They're practically immortal, so they don't fear death. What else is there to worry about if you don't fear death?" The dwarf looked pensively at the steps ahead.  
  
"Well," Legolas said, shrugging his shoulders, "some of us worry about death." "Do you?" Gimli asked, looking out of the corner of his eye at his new walking companion. "No…" Legolas responded carefully, "but I still worry about things." A brief silence ensued, and the elf realized he would have to give an example.  
  
"I worry about being pitied." Gimli's eyes widened, and he looked at Legolas inquisitively. "Yes," the elf confirmed, "that's what I worry about. I don't fear death, but if I were mortally injured, I wouldn't want to be a cripple. Because if I did become a cripple, whenever I would walk down the street with my scars of war, someone would whisper, "There goes Legolas Greenleaf, a poor VICTIM of the quest to destroy the one ring." Gimli nodded understandingly, and averted his eyes to the steps before him.  
  
"So," Legolas said, looking down at the dwarf, "what are you worried about?" "Many things," Gimli responded vaguely. "Give me an idea," the elf prodded. Gimli sighed and said, "The death of Gandalf, the stability of Master Baggins' condition, the success or failure of the Fellowship, my death…" Legolas smiled gently and responded, "There's nothing you can do for Gandalf, Frodo will be all right, we'll find a way to make the Fellowship succeed, and you won't die."  
  
Gimli chuckled and asked, "How could you be so sure?" "Well, I know that Frodo's strong, and he has his friend Sam to push him along, and as for the Fellowship and you – I'm here." The dwarf quirked an eyebrow. "Run that across me one more time…" "My archery; I'll shoot down any foes that come our way that would threaten the Fellowship or would try to kill you. I'm granting that pleasure to myself," Legolas added jokingly.  
  
Gimli understood and laughed. "Thank you." "Could you just do me one favor?" Legolas asked carefully. Gimli nodded and said, "What is it?" "Could you call me Legolas instead of Master Elf? It's just so…stand- offish." Legolas looked hopefully at his companion, who stopped walking. "…Yes, that shouldn't be so hard." Legolas smiled. "Actually, the only reason I kept on calling you that was because I FORGOT your name… There's a lot on my mind…" Legolas laughed and nodded his blonde head.  
  
"Just one more question," the elf added. Gimli sighed and asked, exasperated, "What is it this time?" "Why are you climbing the steps?" "Taking walks always help me clear my mind," Gimli explained. Legolas shook his head and said, "No, that I understand. But why up the staircase?"  
  
"Can I confide in you?" Gimli asked carefully, and Legolas nodded. "Can I trust you to keep it just between you and me?" Legolas smiled trustworthingly and nodded once more. "Very well, then. Even back when I was a young child, walking always helped me to clear my mind. One day, while visiting my cousin in the Mines of Moria, I had a fight with him. I don't even remember what it was about, but I remember being quite upset over it. Afterwards, I decided to take a walk to get my mind off of it…" Gimli's voice trailed off, and he sighed.  
  
"I just started walking, I was so upset. After ten minutes or so, I finally snapped out of my trance, and I realized I was lost. I tried finding my own way out of the mazes, but I only managed to get myself even more lost." The dwarf's lips formed into a frown. "It wasn't until the next morning that the guards were able to find me. They said I had been sitting beneath a rock, curled up in a ball, shivering on the damp floor. After a few days, I was revived, and I made up with my worried cousin, but from that moment on, I decided that I should only choose a sure path when I went out for my walks. After that, I would only walk where there was a dirt road or a river that I could follow back home. That is why I am walking up this stairwell," the dwarf explained, "because no matter how many times I twist around this tree on the steps, I can always find my way back to the camp site."  
  
Legolas smiled and nodded in understanding. "This may be a little late to ask, but can I join you?" Gimli smirked and said, "Of course, Master El – erm, Legolas." They both laughed, and continued walking up their one sure path. 


End file.
